Jensen, Perry Macleod

This thesis analyzes Danish media coverage of the lockdown of Danish society in March 2020 in response to the covid-19 pandemic. A content analysis of articles in three major Danish newspapers, the center-right paper Berlingske, the tabloid Ekstra Bladet and the center-left paper Politiken, as well as reporting by the Danish broadcasting company DR’s daily tv-news was conducted. The content analysis was used in a longitudinal study on how the media reported on the pandemic before and after the government-imposed lockdown.The results indicate that coverage before the lockdown featured little criticism of the government’s actions. Similarly, there was little politicized coverage or reporting on conflict. After the lockdown, the number of articles related to the pandemic more than doubled. At the same time, stories surrounding criticism of government actions and conflict increased, as did the level of politicization. Furthermore, based on the four framing dimensions formulated by Robert Entman (1993), this report discusses how media coverage played an active part in framing the pandemic as an existential threat to society within a securitization process. In addition, it considers to what extent the crisis coverage of the pandemic can be understood as a ‘News Media’-media event

Criticism in a crisis: How Danish news media covered the lockdown of Danish society during the covid-19 pandemic

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Roskilde Universitet